


Let The Sky Fall

by midnightwolfGX



Category: Regular Show
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 13:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 18,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12749175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightwolfGX/pseuds/midnightwolfGX
Summary: Mordecai has become aware of Margaret's marriage, and takes a very dangerous step down a different path which will mean the difference between love and hate. But how far will he go?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> THIS STORY IS OLD! I have simply imported it from FanFiction.net.

There was a big party at the house in the park in the early evening. Today was a great day for everyone, as the park received a major income from a fundraiser, which would help Benson, the park manager, with the financial difficulties he's been facing. Everyone showed up at the party: Benson, Pops, Skips, Muscle Man and Hive-Five Ghost, Thomas, and let's not forget the good ol' duo, Mordecai and Rigby. A few others showed up as well: Margaret and Eileen, who both work at a coffee shop just outside the park, and Starla, Muscle Man's girlfriend.

At that moment, Benson tapped his spoon against his glass, "Can I have your attention, please?" he announced.

Everyone stopped talking and focused on Benson.

"Now," Benson began, "I would like to thank all of the park staff for putting on this fundraiser, as it has been a major springboard in the pitfall of taxes and debt and whatnot. But we really want to give our honest thanks to Skips for coming up with the idea." He motioned his arm to Skips, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ooh! Good show, Skips! Good show indeed!" said Pops, smirking and clapping.

"Yeah! And y'know who _else_ is good at putting on fundraisers…?" said Muscle Man.

But Rigby intervened: "Dude, if you say 'my mom', I'm skippin' town."

Muscle Man raised a brow, "I wasn't gonna say that! Jeez…why does everyone always think I'm gonna say that every time!?"

_Because you_ do _always say it…_ Mordecai thought.

At that moment, Margaret tried to attract everyone's attention, "Pardon me, Benson, but may I also make an announcement?" she asked.

Benson nodded, "No problem." He said, stepping aside.

Margaret cleared her throat, "Now, as few of you may know, I've been engaged for about a week now…"

Mordecai stared at Margaret, enraged. He knew that Margaret had been engaged with a human named Paul. He was absolutely disgusted by this; he had been in love with the robin ever since he started to visit the coffee shop regularly. She was the only thing he'd ever cared for during his breaks. And now that she was going to get married…he was sure he couldn't handle this rejection any more.

"…and I've decided that we would like to have our wedding here at this park!" Margaret proudly proclaimed. Everyone, except for Mordecai, applauded.

"Congrats, Margaret!" said Starla.

"I'm so happy for you, Margaret!" said Thomas.

Everyone continued to compliment and congratulate Margaret on her future matrimony, but Mordecai remain in the corner of the room, still as a statue. He still couldn't believe this; Margaret was getting married…and he never told her how he feels. He could never imagine that his emotions would turn upside-down within the ten seconds she informed him.

Later, everybody sat down to eat. Mordecai sat at the same table as Margaret, Eileen, and Rigby. They were served Sirloin steaks with garlic butter, and spinach casserole (as a special occasion, since they often didn't have the money for gourmet). Mordecai only took microscopic bites, unlike everyone else; he had no appetite, and his stomach felt like a large stone.

Margaret noticed that he has hardly touched his food, "Mordecai, you okay?"

Mordecai looked up, "Uh…yes. Never better! The food's excellent! _Love_ parties; y'know, meeting new people, having a good time, the whole shebang…" he trailed off.

Skips came by and poured wine into their goblets, and when he was about to move from Mordecai's glass, the blue jay stopped him: "I'll tell you when to stop!" he said, darkly.

Skips looked confused as he poured more wine into Mordecai's glass.

"So," Rigby said after Skips moved to the next table, "what's it feel like? About to get married?"

Margaret was, fortunately, used to Rigby's curiousity, "Well, I'm kinda nervous. But I'm also excited! I finally get to pledge my eternal love to Paul."

Mordecai's stomach churned in anger at the statement.

"Well, I think you're doing the right thing, Margaret." Said Eileen, "This is the only way to show the world that you found love."

Margaret turned to Mordecai, "I'm sure you're happy for me, too. Right, Mordecai?"

Mordecai set his fork down, "Oh, _bite me_!" he said, unwillingly.

Everyone gave Mordecai a strange look, even people from other tables.

"Uh, dude?" said Rigby, "What's that about?"

Mordecai took a breath, "Sorry…just been stressed lately."

"Why?" Eileen asked.

Mordecai didn't answer the question. "…I just need to be alone right now." He said, getting up, putting his plate in the sink, and heading out the back door. While the sound of everyone else having a good time started up again through the window, it didn't convince Mordecai to return. He wandered the dark paths of the park, before he finally sat against a tree, staring up at the stars. Tears formed in his eyes as he reminisced the good times he had with Margaret, but everything has now been tainted by the mere marriage of Margaret and Paul. "Why…?" Mordecai asked out loud. And with that, he burst into tears. Endless, straining, uncontrollable tears.

"Skyfall" by Adele begins:

_This is the end._

_Hold your breath and count to ten._

_Feel the earth move and then,_

_Hear my heart burst again._

_For this is the end._

_I've drowned and dreamt this moment._

_So overdue I owe them._

_Swept away, I'm stolen._

_Let the Skyfall._

_When it crumbles,_

_We will stand tall,_

_Face it all together._

_Let the Skyfall._

_When it crumbles,_

_We will stand tall,_

_Face it all together,_

_At Skyfall._

_At Skyfall._

_Skyfall is where we start;_

_A thousand miles and poles apart;_

_Where worlds collide and days are dark._

_You may have my number, you can take my name,_

_But you'll never have my heart._

_Let the Skyfall (let the Skyfall)._

_When it crumbles (when it crumbles),_

_We will stand tall (we will stand tall),_

_Face it all together._

_Let the Skyfall (let the Skyfall)._

_When it crumbles (when it crumbles),_

_We will stand tall (we will stand tall),_

_Face it all together,_

_At Skyfall._

_(Let the Skyfall._

_When it crumbles,_

_We will stand tall.)_

_(Let the Skyfall._

_When it crumbles,_

_We will stand tall.)_

_Where you go I go._

_What you see I see._

_I know I'd never be me,_

_Without the security._

_Of your loving arms,_

_Keeping me from harm._

_Put your hand in my hand,_

_And we'll stand._

_Let the Skyfall (let the Skyfall)._

_When it crumbles (when it crumbles),_

_We will stand tall (we will stand tall),_

_Face it all together._

_Let the Skyfall (let the Skyfall)._

_When it crumbles (when it crumbles),_

_We will stand tall (we will stand tall),_

_Face it all together,_

_At Skyfall._

_Let the Skyfall._

_We will stand tall,_

_At Skyfall._


	2. Ch. 1 - Corporate Agent

The day following the fundraiser, everyone was busy preparing for Margaret's wedding. It took a while; setting up the altar, seats for the witnesses, getting the cake and other food for the reception, and adjusting every fine detail. Mordecai, however, did not want to participate in something that would completely destroy him inside. All he did was sit on a bench facing a big pond, throwing pebbles into the water. Benson suddenly approached out of nowhere.

"Why aren't you helping us!?" he said furiously.

Mordecai sighed, "…It's complicated."

Benson glared, "This work is not complicated! You are just saying that 'cause-"

"It's not the work!" Mordecai retaliated, "It's…a personal matter. Nothing else."

Benson got more angry, "Work does not stop when you are having difficulties! Get your ass over to the wedding area, OR YOU'RE FIRED!" he yelled, his face flushing in anger.

Mordecai sighed once more, "…Fine." He said, passively.

Mordecai went back over to the place that the ceremony, but all he did was make it _look_ like he was working; there was not a chance in this universe that he would assist in setting up his downfall. When it was time to begin the ceremony, several of both Margaret and Paul's friends and family showed up, and took their seats. Margaret picked Eileen to be her Maid of Honor. The ceremony began as Margaret strode up the aisle in her white lace dress towards Paul. Mordecai watched the whole thing happen, hiding in a tree nearby.

"Alright," the priest began, "I'm proud to see that these two, Margaret and Paul, stand here on this most wonderful occasion, to pledge their eternal love, and to remain with each other until death shall take it's toll…"

Many people watching were crying at the sight of Margaret and Paul taking each other's hands, and looking deeply into each other's eyes. Like everyone else, Mordecai was also crying; unlike everyone else, it was not from happiness. His tears were rich of betrayal and hurt. The blue jay hoped with all his might in vain that the universe would miraculously swap his and Paul's locations.

_Get your frickin' hands off_ my _rightful girl!_ Mordecai thought, wishing he were telepathic. He couldn't stay and watch; he dropped down from the tree from behind so that no one would see him, and he ran away from the park. He decided to simply head to the coffee shop; since Margaret wasn't going to be there, it would at least be…better, he guessed. As he walked up to the building, he noticed a car parked in front of it. It looked like a black Sedan, and printed on the side were two red trapezoids forming an inverted "V". Next to the symbol was _Aletheia Corporation_ in big, white letters, and in smaller text beneath it read: _The Truth has you covered_. Mordecai wondered what this was all about.

He went into the coffee shop, and asked the waitress for a latte. As he waited, he thought about everything that was wrong right now. He was mad at Margaret for not noticing his feelings, or taking enough time to make judgment. He was mad at everyone else for not understanding, and he was alone. He longed for the day when he would find love, and now, he's lost hope of it ever happening to him. He continued to contemplate, until he was startled by someone who suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," said a female voice, "do you have a job around here?"

Mordecai sat up and looked at who was speaking to him. It was a female blue jay, wearing mostly white business clothing and high heels. "Huh…what?" Mordecai said.

"Do you have a job around here?" she repeated.

"Why?" Mordecai asked.

"I'm an agent with the Aletheia Corporation," she said, "I was wondering if I could speak with your employer about a proposition."

Mordecai raised a brow, "You want to speak to my boss about some kind of business deal?"

The female blue jay nodded, "Yes; Aletheia has been aware of high accumulation of debt centering around this region, and we are willing to provide assistance if your company is experiencing financial difficulties…damn, I really need to start memorizing these fancy sentences more…" she said, her businesslike persona fading to a more casual one.

"What's wrong?" Mordecai asked.

The female blue jay sighed, "I'm just really tired of having to go around town making deals with every major company we come across. It's just messed up! I don't get paid enough…"

Mordecai rubbed the back of his head. She seemed a little younger than him, so he could at least make it easier on her; "Well…I don't work for a major company. I just work at the park across the street." He said, pointing to it through the window.

Her eyes seemed to grow a little less tired, "Oh, alright. But if you're interested in speaking to your boss about what we have to offer, don't hesitate. And if you'd like to speak to me, just meet me here at one o'clock every weekday: I come here for my breaks."

"Really?" said Mordecai, "Me too. I guess we just haven't seen each other 'cause my break's at two."

"Well," the female blue jay said, reaching into her pocket, "here's Aletheia's number, if you want." She handed him a business card, "And, um…don't take this the wrong way, but…" she blushed slightly, "…would you like my number, too?"

Mordecai nodded, "Totally."

Her facial flush vanished immediately, "Alright, here." She said, handing him another business card, "Well, I'll be heading out now; busy schedule. See you later?"

"Sure." Mordecai responded.

The female blue jay held out her hand, "I'm Mia, by the way."

Mordecai shook her hand, "Name's Mordecai. Nice to meet you." And with that, Mia went out the door, and drove off in the Aletheia-marked Sedan.

Mordecai looked at the cards he was still holding, "Hm, that was interesting." He said to himself, "But there something…strange about her. If only I could put my finger on it…"

"Here's your latte." Said the waitress suddenly, setting a paper coffee cup in front of him.

As he drank, he still couldn't get his mind off of Mia. What was she doing, asking him if his boss was interested in making a financial investment? And what is the Aletheia Corporation? With many strange events occurring through unlikely events, Mordecai only has to wonder what is in store for him next.


	3. Ch. 2 - Maximum Annoyance

Mordecai returned to the park to only have his happiness sucked out of him once more; he saw the moment Margaret and Paul kissed. Talk about such bad timing. Mordecai had completely forgotten about the wedding due to his wondering about that mysterious girl with the Aletheia Corporation. Mordecai went straight up to his room at the house, and sat in the middle of the floor, completely motionless. Half an hour later, Rigby showed up.

"Hey, dude." Rigby said when he saw Mordecai, "I know you didn't want to show up at the wedding, but you still have to…com-sen-pate, or whatever, for my fake 'lack of knowledge' around her!"

Mordecai remained sitting, staring straight in front of him.

Rigby waved his hand in front of his face, "Helloooo? Did someone forget to pay the brain-bill?" he asked loudly. Mordecai still made no action.

Rigby smirked as an idea came to him. He went over to Mordecai's bed, and pulled something out from under his pillow, "Hey, Mordecai. Lookee here. I got your Gameboy, and watch what I can do to it!" he snapped the system in half right in front of Mordecai, but he didn't express even the slightest anger, let alone any emotion, or movement.

Rigby got another idea; he took a paper bag, blew air into it, and smashed it between his hands about a foot away from Mordecai's face, making a loud bang. Mordecai did not flinch; not even a blink.

_Damn,_ Rigby thought, _this is really starting to bug me._ He then got some boiled eggs from the fridge, and stood right in front of Mordecai. "Oh, Mordecai, you hungry? 'Cause I'm gonna feed you!" he said, immediately before hurling an egg, which splattered across Mordecai's forehead. No reaction. Rigby through another egg, and another, and five more after that. Mordecai sat unchanged, except that he was now covered from head to foot in boiled eggs.

Rigby now had absolutely no idea how to snap Mordecai out of…whatever he was in. "Maybe I should go get Skips…" he said to himself, leaving the house and heading to Skip's place.

Rigby found Skips washing the cart, and told him about Mordecai. Skips set the hose down, "I'll take a look at him." He said.

They both went back to the house, and found Mordecai still sitting with total immobility. Skips took a few moments to examine Mordecai after Skips used a scrub-brush to get all of the egg off him; holding out his arms, checking his pulse, looking into his eyes with a penlight, pressing down on a few areas, et cetera. Rigby stayed quiet while Skips worked; to him, it looked almost like a clinical exam.

After about two minutes, Skips spoke: "Yeah, I've seen this before." He said.

Rigby sighed in relief at the conclusion of the diagnosis, "So, what's wrong with him?" he asked.

"Well," Skips began, "excessive depression has caused his five senses to temporarily shut down, and his consciousness how exists inside a world within his mind."

Rigby didn't care about the details, "So, how do we wake him up?" he questioned.

Skips rubbed his chin, "Well, I do have a spellbook that I recently unearthed, and I think there was a spell somewhere used to bring someone back to consciousness." He suggested.

"Okay," said Rigby, "let's just get the magic trick over with."

"I'll be right back." Said Skips, as he headed out the door. Some time later, he returned with a very old and battered-looking book.

"Let's see…" he said, rifling through the pages, "Cure warts, no…Make it rain, definitely not…Become invisible, useful, but not now…Ah! Here it is! Awakening."

Skips then set the book beside himself, placed one hand on Mordecai's forehead and his other on Mordecai's chest, and read the incantation on the page; " _From the depths of pitch-black dimensions, and from darkness of despair..._ " The area's of Mordecai's skin that Skips was touching began to glow a bright red,"… _May the light of the bright world bring you forth, to leave behind all care._ "

Mordecai suddenly flinched as the red light went out, and then he yawned, "…But mom, I'm too tired to go to school…" he said, disoriented.

"Ah, Mordecai, you're _finally_ awake." Said Rigby.

Mordecai rubbed his eyes, "Huh…? How long was I out?" he asked.

"Probably an hour." Said Skips, "Anyways, since I'm done here, I'll be going." And he left.

Rigby smirked, "So…'excessive depression', am I right?" he said, smugly.

Mordecai raised a brow, "Dude, what? Why would you think that?" he asked.

"You still got the hots for Margaret." Rigby replied in a sly tone.

Mordecai glared, "I do not!" he yelled.

Rigby laughed, "Yes you do! I pretend to be asleep while you stare at a photo of her in a bikini every night, and…y'know, _pull the joystick_. That's just _wrong_ , man…" he said, still laughing.

Mordecai's face flushed so deep that there was not a faint trace of blue on it, "Not true, man! The only joystick-pulling I do is on a flight simulator!" he retaliated.

Rigby laughed harder, "Dude, you know there's no way outta this! You can't deny the truth! _Da-a-a-a-amn_ , this is just too good!" he said, straining to even breathe.

Mordecai finally became too angry, "Get the hell out of here! I don't want to see you until tomorrow, or else!" he said, raising his fist.

Rigby's eye widened, "Dude, c'mon, we're friends! I was only joking…" he said.

"You shouldn't even _joke_ about stuff like that!" Mordecai argued further, "Just go!"

Without another word, Rigby ran out the door on all fours. Mordecai slammed the door afterwards. Then, he lay on the bed. He couldn't believe that the girl he had loved all his life was married to someone who didn't look half-decent. Of course, Margaret says " _It's the inner qualities that count._ ". Mordecai sighed, he felt like he had to get away from this place. And that's when a thought came to him; surely Mia would show up at the coffee shop tomorrow. Maybe he could sneak out while giving Rigby a portion of his paycheck for extra work, and go visit her?

Mordecai was curious about what the Aletheia Corporation was, and what they do. Perhaps…maybe he could consider employment with Aletheia…with assistance from Mia, perhaps. Yes, this would be perfect; he would receive a better paycheck, be able to get his own place, maybe have a more enjoyable career, and especially, he could get away from the pain and depression that this hole he spent his few years in has given him. This was a brilliant idea, and Mordecai lay longer, thinking more and more about it.


	4. Ch. 3 - Potential Change

At around noon of the following day, Mordecai entered Benson's office.

"What are you doing?" Benson asked, looking up from his paperwork, "You're supposed to be mowing the lawn!"

"Look, Benson, if I could just have a minute of your time-" said Mordecai, before Benson interrupted.

"Make it quick!" said Benson.

Mordecai hesitated, and then spoke: "Is it alright if I move my two o'clock break to one o'clock?"

Benson thought for a moment, "Yeah, sure, fine, whatever. Just get back to work!" he semi-shouted, being as impatient as he is.

Mordecai left the office, sniggering, _Yeah, Benson, just keep tellin' me to work, 'cause you won't be much longer. Ohhhhh!_ He thought as he mockingly waved his hand in the air at the last part. After an hour of lawn mowing in a full-body ache of impatience, Mordecai decided to go over to the coffee shop a little before his break would begin.

After a bit of waiting, the black Sedan he saw yesterday pulled in front of the building, and the person who stepped out…was most definitely Mia. Yes, it was the same female blue jay wearing white business apparel identical to the kind she wore yesterday. She stepped inside, and sat in a booth a little way from Mordecai. He was about to head over to meet her, when suddenly, something he didn't want to see right now came from nowhere.

"Hello, welcome to the coffee shop," said Margaret to Mia, "what can I get for you?"

"I'll take a cappuccino." Said Mia.

Margaret wrote something in her tiny notepad, "Alright, I'll have it right out!" she said.

Mordecai ducked under the table as Margaret walked back to the kitchen so she wouldn't see him. As she walked by, Mordecai saw…the wedding ring on Margaret's finger. That diamond…that vile, accursed stone on a band of 14-karat gold, acted as a shield between him and her from ever being together…as more than friends. Mordecai wondered if he could ever be happy ever again.

Once the coast was clear, Mordecai emerged from under the table and made his way over to Mia's table.

"Oh, hey Mordecai!" said Mia when she saw him.

"Hey, Mia." Said Mordecai, putting on a fake smile, "Is it alright if I join you?"

"Sure," she said, motioning her arm towards the other seat, which Mordecai sat down at. "So, what have you been up to lately?" Mia asked.

"Well…" Mordecai began, hesitantly, "…you know that waitress you were just talking to?"

"Margaret?" said Mia.

"Yes," said Mordecai, "but…how do you know her?"

Mia chuckled, "I told you yesterday; I come here all the time for my breaks."

"Right," said Mordecai, "anyways, she got married yesterday, and-"

"Really?" said Mia, "That's great! We should probably congratulate her!"

Mordecai shook his head, "See, the thing is…I've really liked her…for a long time." He said, his face now a deep shade of red.

"Oh…" said Mia, suddenly sympathetic by the expression Mordecai put into his sentence, "I'm sorry to hear about that." She put her hand on Mordecai's.

Mordecai sighed, "…I don't need your pity." He said.

"Don't be like that; have faith. I'm sure you'll find someone else." Said Mia, reassuringly.

Suddenly Margaret was walking towards their table with Mia's cappuccino. Mordecai panicked.

"Oh God, she's coming!" he whispered to Mia.

"Get down!" she said, putting her hand on his head and pushing him under the table.

Getting as far back as he possibly could, Mordecai listened to hear what they were saying, not that it mattered, but he was just curious. But, it was evident that Margaret had not seen him.

"Alright, here you go." Said Margaret, just before a thud on the table sounded, indicating her setting a coffee cup on the table.

"Thanks." Said Mia, before Margaret walked away.

Mordecai came out from under the table, "That was close…" he said.

"Yep." Said Mia, "I imagine you didn't want any more shame?"

Mordecai shook his head, "Nope. Anyways, have you ever had this happen?"

"Nah, I've just…never really been interested in having a boyfriend. I don't know why, but it just seems silly to me." Said Mia.

Mordecai looked at the ground, "Then you're lucky to have _that_ kind of personality…" he said with envy, "…anyways, I was thinking about getting a job at…al-lee-thee-uh…or however it's pronounced."

Mia looked a little more brightened, "Well, I'm sure you'll really enjoy it! You would have to contact customer services for employment, but we deal and invest in many branches, such as healthcare, energy resources, engineering, computer technology, loans and bonds-"

"Alright, I get it. Aletheia is kind of…all-around, right?" Mordecai asked.

Mia nodded, "Yep, we're one of the biggest commercial entities in the America, and possibly the world." She said.

"So," Mordecai began, "what does your slogan 'The Truth has you covered' mean?"

"Well, the word 'aletheia' is actually the Greek word for 'truth'." She responded.

Mordecai's eyes widened, " _Oh_ , now I understand." He said, smirking in embarrassment.

Mia stood up, "Alright, my break's almost over. If you do want to join, just call the number on Aletheia's website and follow the instructions the recording gives you. I hope to see you soon!" she said, waving as she walked out the door.

"See ya!" he said back.

Mordecai was also finished with his break, and headed back to the park. Trying to find another girl for him here was just not gonna happen; he knew that CJ had left town once she found out he was "using" her, and he had no idea where she went.

Maybe reemployment could be a good thing; he would have a fresh start, and could have a better opportunity to gain some more dignity, unlike having it taken away by all these…losers…at the park. Mordecai figured he'd leave without an early notice, so nobody would beg him to stay…especially not Margaret.


	5. Ch. 4 - Aletheia Corporation

Rigby awoke early that day; it was strange how he wasn't awakened by Mordecai, like he usually is. Rigby smirked, maybe Mordecai finally came to his senses to let him get his much-needed sleep.

"Hey, Mordecai," said Rigby, "I see you finally know that getting up early to work is the hard thing."

There was no response.

"Uh, Mordecai…?" Rigby glanced over, but Mordecai was not in the room. Instead, Rigby saw a small envelop on the bedsheets. He stood up and picked up the envelope. Curious, he opened the envelope to find a letter in Mordecai's handwriting:

_June 21, 2013_

_Benson_

_Park Manager_

_Park AV 300_

_Fresco_

_Benson,_

_I write this letter to inform you that I am resigning from my current position at your park._

_My last day of employment will be the day you discover this note, that being June 21, 2013, in accordance with the terms I agreed to in my employment contract._

_I have been through more than I can take here at the park, and felt it best for me to move on. I am neither for nor against success of the park's future._ _So, with the greatest possible respect, I leave in peace._

_Goodbye,_

_Mordecai._

_Mordecai._

Rigby put the letter back in the envelope. He couldn't believe it; this was Mordecai's resignation letter. Why would Mordecai leave? Oh, wait, it was the stupid wedding, Rigby realized in the instant. He had to show this to Benson…and everybody else. When he made it to Benson's office, Rigby showed him the letter. As he read it, his face lit up in rage.

"He left without notice!?" Benson yelled, "No! That's not how it works!"

Rigby narrowed his eyes, "Whaddya mean?"

Benson went red, "I was supposed to fire him! He doesn't quit! It's either I fire someone, or they stay!"

"But the regulations-" Rigby began before getting interrupted by Benson.

"Y'know what!? To Hell with regulations! I play by my own rules!" Benson retaliated.

Benson called for an immediate meeting at the house. Everybody (Skips, Pops, Muscle Man, High-Five Ghost, and Thomas) all showed up. Benson briefed them on the issue, and none of them were happy to hear that Mordecai had packed in the night and taken off without notice.

"Hey, bro!" said Muscle Man to Rigby, "How can you let your bro hit the road and you don't know he's goin'?"

Rigby clawed his head, "I don't know! I don't know!"

"Enough!" said Benson, swatting his meterstick on the table, "We need to find out what happened, and we're gonna force him to come back!"

Skips rubbed his chin, "The first thing we need to do…is to figure out how to locate him. For all we know, he could have left town."

"But if he doesn't want to come back," said Thomas, "then what?"

"Like I said; we'll force him." Said Benson with a wicked smile, before turning to Rigby, "And I'm sure you can convince him, since you're his 'bro'."

"STOP TALKING!" Rigby exclaimed.

(XXXX)

Mordecai had arranged to rendezvous with Mia at the coffee shop. After walking what seemed a considerably long distance (he had to leave the cart), he found Mia waiting outside the Aletheia-marked car for him. He was glad to finally be able to travel in a different way than on foot. After Mia drove them into the downtown region, they reached a tall, glass building with the same upside-down red "V" that was on Mia's car; directly below it were the words _Aletheia Corporation_. When they walked into the building, it was _far_ different than Mordecai imagined.

The floors looked like an opaque sheet of glass with steel dividers and light underneath; same as the walls. Several humans and anthropomorphic animals in labcoats were walking around with clipboards, laptops, or other electronic devices. Several screens lined the walls of the large room. There was a giant Aletheia symbol that was in the center of the floor. All the décor seemed to be chrome. It looked almost like the building he walked into was a time machine that sent him into the future.

"You look surprised." Said Mia.

Mordecai continued to look around, "This looks _way_ too advanced to be modern." He said, still awestruck as ever.

"Well, it's not science fiction," said Mia, "it's what Aletheia does every day."

"Reminds me of the interior of the _Enterprise_ from the new _Star Trek_ movies." Said Mordecai.

Mia chuckled, "Yeah, I know a lot of people can't afford this stuff yet." She said, "But, we're working to get around that. Let's get you to the customer services."

As Mia walked him over to the customer services, Mordecai couldn't help but notice the guards all around the room; wearing full-black body armor and holding M16-style rifles with pistols in their thigh holsters. But, he figured maybe they were just security. Though, something about them…about this place…seemed strange.

After arriving at the service desk, Mordecai presented his resume and his job at the park as a reference. He then proceeded to fill out the necessary application paperwork, and scheduled the earliest time he could for an interview. This was truly a new dawn of the path that would take him somewhere he had intended to be, rather than staying at a place which held too many painful memories. This was the beginning of his new life, his new future. He had little time left of his old experience before the door to a better one would open. Mordecai has made his mind; there's no going back now.


	6. Ch. 5 - A Temporary Stay

Mordecai, having finished applying for a job at Aletheia, handed in his paperwork to the service desk. After an interview, Mordecai selected a job in the programming department. He figured if he was good at using a computer, he might as well take a job that involves using it. After having gone through the process of joining the company, Mordecai met up with Mia afterwards.

"Hey, so how'd it go?" Mia asked.

"I'm in." said Mordecai, "I applied for the computer department."

"Ooh, nice choice!" said Mia.

Mordecai shrugged, "Hey, at least I successfully left my old job for a better one." He said.

"Definitely," said Mia, "I hear a lot of people in the programming department really love their jobs."

Mordecai looked at the time on the large LCD-clock above an enormous screen advertising Aletheia, "Well, I'd better get a hotel room for the night." He said.

Mia gasped, "Oh! You still need a place to stay! I forgot!" she said before facepalming herself.

"Look, Mia," said Mordecai, "no need to worry. I still have a lot of money-"

"No, really, it's okay!" said Mia, "You can stay at my place until you're ready to buy your own."

Mordecai wondered for a moment, "You mean…me…at your place…living…eating…sleeping…?" he sputtered.

Mia laughed slightly, "Yes. Really, Mordecai, the Aletheia Corporation has more money than they know what to do with. So, I get a more-than-generous paycheck." She said.

"Alright, well, if you're okay with that…" said Mordecai.

They got back into Mia's car, and drove just across the square to an apartment building. Mia apparently lived on one of the higher floors, since the elevator ride took a while. When they reached Mia's apartment…

"Whoa…" said Mordecai, "…you trying to make home feel like work?"

The place was huge, and had the same glowing white floor, walls and ceiling as the Aletheia complex, along with screens on the walls, chrome furniture (excluding the pure-white couches and armchairs), and other future-like features.

"Well, if you get good money, why not have a good home?" said Mia.

Mordecai looked out the large window at the vast city below, "Amazing view you've got here." Said Mordecai.

"Is it?" said Mia, who was now using a touch-screen next to the window. With a faint whistling sound, the window changed from the city view to a mountain landscape.

Mordecai stared at it, awestruck, "No way!" he said.

Mia then changed it to a forest with an animated waterfall in the background, then to a beach on a sunny day with moving waves, and a large grass field…a view that Mordecai was all too familiar with.

Mia noticed his expression change, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Mordecai walked over to Mia, "…Nothing." He said, switching off the window-screen, returning it's view to the city.

Mia then realized, "Do you regret leaving the park?" she asked.

"No!" said Mordecai, "It's just…it's complicated."

"Margaret's marriage, I take it?" Mia asked.

Mordecai sighed, "Yes…" he breathed.

Mia placed her hand on Mordecai's shoulder, "Don't be like that! I told you, have faith. You'll find your significant other."

Mordecai managed to smiled, "Thanks, Mia."

Mia removed her hand, "Anyways, I think I need to go work on something in the back room. Make yourself at home; there's some pizza in the freezer, just put it in the microwave. You can watch Netflix on the TV if you want. I've also got an Xbox 360."

"Alright." Said Mordecai, nodding. And with that, Mia went into her room. Mordecai was hungry; he realized it was getting late, so he decided to throw a frozen pizza in the microwave. It's been a while since he had any "good" food, since he had no appetite at the party celebrating the park's successful fundraiser.

Afterwards, he decided to try out Mia's Xbox 360, since all he ever played back at the park was an old NES. Mordecai was astounded by the graphics on the menu, since it wasn't very badly pixelated like on the consoles he always played on. Then, one particular game caught his eye…

"Grand Theft Auto V!?" he said out loud, "I heard this doesn't come out for another 3 months! How did she get it?" he wondered, "Who knows? But, who care?" He then took a try at it. The complex control took some time to get used to, but once he did, it was pretty fun. He enjoyed taking out his anger in a completely safe, virtual manner: causing chaos in a nonexistent city. "Damn…does Mia really like this shit? If she does…it's frickin' awesome!" he said to himself.

After a while, he started to get a little tired of the game, and decided to take a break. He figured maybe he could check up on Mia, so he went into her room to find her tinkering with something.

"Oh, hey Mordecai." She said, setting things down. It looked like a disassembled handgun; from the look of the parts, Mordecai assumed it was a stainless Italian-style pistol.

"What is that?" Mordecai asked.

Mia was finishing putting it together as she spoke: "Well…it's my gun. I like to take it to the range. And what's a little home protection for extra safety?" she seemed fairly flustered as she spoke.

"That's a pretty nice gun, though." Said Mordecai once Mia finished putting it back together.

"Thanks," said Mia, "It's a stainless M9 Beretta, 9mm. I was just cleaning it."

"You were cleaning it now?" Mordecai asked.

Mia nodded, "Yes, you must never store a dirty firearm." She set the pistol in it's case, but didn't close it, "Anyways, I'm gonna take a shower." And she went into the bathroom.

Mordecai decided to examine Mia's pistol. He rarely encountered firearms. Despite there being many things about the gun that he found fairly interesting, there was one in particular that caught his full attention; on the black polymer grip, in place of where the Beretta logo would be, was the Aletheia Corporation symbol...


	7. Ch. 6 - Secrets Unraveled

After Mia got out of the shower and put some clothes on, she found Mordecai standing outside her door.

"I need to ask you something." Said Mordecai.

"What?" Mia asked.

Mordecai entered the room, "I noticed something weird about your pistol." He said.

Mia swallowed nervously, "R-really?" she stammered.

"Yes," said Mordecai, "why does it have an Aletheia logo on it?"

Mia sighed, "Alright, I need to tell you something. But you have to swear, and I mean Honest-to-God _swear_ , that you won't tell anyone." She said.

Mordecai nodded, "Alright." He said.

"I need your _absolute_ word." She said, more seriously.

"Okay." Mordecai responded.

But Mia continued: "Look, if you tell _anyone_ , anyone at all, my job could be put at ri-"

"Alright! Alright, jeez." Said Mordecai, "You can get me to keep a vow on a Bible, if you need."

Mia took a deep breath, and began: "Okay…when Aletheia was founded back in the 60s, in months, it became one of the biggest marketing entities in America, and in years, one of the biggest in the world. We hold a strong financial and economic influence on a global scale. About 90% of all households in America contain Aletheia's products."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with your Aletheia-gun?" Mordecai asked.

"I was getting to that." Said Mia, "So, we gain profits from production and distribution of computer technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, electronics, energy resources, engineering, and foods. This is all for public benefits. But, Aletheia has secrets unbeknownst to many people…even to our own staff; we greatly increase the profits we make by working as a paramilitary; this includes producing ergonomically-enhanced firearms, heavily modified combat aircrafts, tactical equipment, and other cutting-edge military technology."

Mordecai's eyes widened in realization. This was how Aletheia made so much money; they worked as not only a marketing company in many countries, but also as an international private military organization.

"So, my gun…" Mia began, "…was issued to me. I'm part of the military department; the Aletheia Tactics and Low-Agent Security, or A.T.L.A.S., for short. Not the best gun ever…but at least Aletheia can afford a large quantity of something better than those cheap plastic Glocks the police use…"

Mordecai continued to think about this, and finally, after recalling everything that happened in the past few days, made a decision he had hardly much chance to change once he took it; "…I think I'm gonna join the military department. A.T.L.A.S. Do I need to schedule another interview?"

"No." said Mia, "All you need to do is go to the service desk, and ask to see 'the director'. They'll lead you on from there."

"Okay," said Mordecai, yawning, "well, I'm beat. I'll see you tomorrow." So, he went into the living room and quickly fell asleep on the couch.

(XXXX)

Margaret was later informed by the park staff that Mordecai had resigned from the park, "Why?" she asked them.

"We're not sure." Said Benson, "But what we _do_ need to do is find him and give him a good punishment!"

Margaret shook her head, "No, you shouldn't do that to Mordecai. He's a really nice guy-"

"Don't defend him!" Benson retaliated, "He's a slacker! He can't just walk away from all this just to avoid trouble!"

Rigby tugged on Margaret's shirt, "Hey, Margaret, can I talk to you real quick?" he asked when everybody else started to debate.

Margaret went off to the side, signaling Eileen to come with them. When the three were a good distance away from the rest of the group, Eileen spoke first.

"What's going on, Rigby?" asked Eileen.

"I know why Mordecai left." Said Rigby.

"Well, why? Did something happen?" asked Margaret.

Rigby nodded, "Yep, something _did_ happen. Something that _you_ did." He said to Margaret.

Margaret swallowed, "Whaddya mean?" she asked.

"Well," Rigby began, "Mordecai would probably kill me for telling you this, but…he's had a big, damn crush on you, Margaret. Your wedding with that Paul dude upset him, so he left."

Margaret was instantaneously struck with guilt and sorrow. She always knew Mordecai as a good friend, but never imagined he had _those_ kind of feelings for him. And now…he's left because he feels that she betrayed him. But, how can you blame her? She never knew. She _liked_ Mordecai as a good friend; a good, fun-loving, caring friend. But, she didn't _love_ him. She only ever saw him and her as just friends.

"Well, standing around might not do any good!" said Eileen, "We need to figure out how to find him!"

"Okay, the first thing we need is some leads. Something we can go on." Said Margaret after collecting herself.

They decided to search Mordecai and Rigby's bedroom. Eileen looked through the closet, Margaret underneath the bed, and Rigby in the dresser. After spending quite a bit of time searching, Margaret spoke up.

"I found something!" she said, pulling out a small paper card from under the bed. Rigby and Eileen rushed over to see. "The Aletheia Corporation? What's that?" Margaret asked.

"Isn't that where the agent who comes for her breaks works?" Eileen asked.

Margaret's eyes widened, "Of course…we need to find this place! We find the Aletheia building—we find Mordecai."

"Alright," said Rigby, "man, is Benson gonna give Mordecai a good ass-whoopin', OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" he yelled, waving his hand through the air.

Margaret sighed, _It shouldn't work like that,_ she thought, _then again, it shouldn't have_ been _like this to begin with…_


	8. Ch. 7 - Training

The following day, Mordecai proceeded back to Fresco's Aletheia complex in a rental car. It looked the same as it had been when he first visited, not much to his surprise. He then went straight to the service desk.

"Excuse me." He said to the woman at the desk, "I need to speak to the director."

The woman raised a brow, "Director? I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Well," said Mordecai, "isn't there someone-"

The woman stopped him: "Please, sir, just come with me and I'm sure we'll find who you're looking for." He then followed the woman to an elevator, where she used a key to access a floor underneath the ground-level.

"So," the woman said in a discreet tone on the way down, "you are wanting to be recruited into the A.T.L.A.S. unit, are you not?"

Mordecai nodded, "So, what do I have to do?"

"Well," the woman began, "You will have to take a series of physical training as well as written tests. Where they put you depends on how well you do in all of these exercises."

"Alright. I've got it." Said Mordecai.

After he spoke, the elevator doors opened to reveal another large room with the same appearance as the entrance to the complex, with the exception of large polymer crates covering the place. The woman the escorted him to another desk where a human man with blonde hair sat using a laptop.

"Well, Commander, it looks like you may have another potential recruit for your unit." She said to him.

The Commander stood up, revealing his bulletproof vest and a pistol identical to Mia's in a shoulder holster, "Really?" he said, before turning to Mordecai, "Well, then let me be the first to welcome you to the Aletheia Tactics and Low-Agent Security, more commonly known as A.T.L.A.S."

"Thanks," said Mordecai, "I'm ready to take the necessary steps to join you guys."

The Commander shrugged and nodded, "Alright, but just be wary of your performance, since that's what we narrow down to obtain new recruits, rather than the amount of exercises. One thing Aletheia always goes by, no matter what department: quality over quantity."

Mordecai nodded, "Understood." He said.

"But, it's up to you." Said the Commander, "You can schedule your trials for now or later, any time works."

But, Mordecai already made his mind up: "I'll start today." He said.

"Well, alright." Said the Commander, "We'll start you off with some written tests, and then you will take some fitness tests afterwards. This will help us to determine your agility, coordination, attention span, memory, endurance, and stamina. If you succeed, you will be placed into one of the A.T.L.A.S. teams. If you fail, we will not recruit you, though you may retake the tests as many times as you wish until you are recruited."

"Alright," said Mordecai, "I'm ready."

And with that, he took Mordecai to what looked like a chrome-walled interrogation room. Inside was a chai fixed to the floor, and in front of it was a large LCD screen, hanging from the ceiling. Mordecai sat in the chair as the Commander shut the door to the room. He touched the screen, and a set of instructions with answer spaces appeared:

_Please enter your name._

_Please enter the date of your birth._

_Please enter the city of your birth._

There was quite a bit of identification information, including eye color, weight, height, etc. After finishing and submitting the identification survey, another screen appeared with two columns of words appeared, and a timer; this was a memory test. Luckily, Mordecai had photographic memory, so after the words were hidden, he found a good portion of them, only missing a few. After several different types of memory tests (like Brain Training on the Nintendo DS), a man came into the room to take Mordecai to a large futuristic gymnasium.

Mordecai did tests involving lifting weights, running on a treadmill, doing pushups, hundred-yard sprints, sit-ups, and pull-ups. There were staff supervising the whole time he did this. All of it was very tiring, which is why breaks were offered to Mordecai in between each exercise, but his determination to join the Aletheia Corporation gave him the adrenaline to go without rest. Next came firearms training, and this was when Mordecai felt more empowered than ever; having his own gun…issued to him by a company _vastly_ richer and bigger and better than the park.

Wearing hearing protection, and with the supervisors watching behind one-way glass, Mordecai fired the first weapon, a pistol, at a target some 10 yards away. His aim was off with the first shot, but after a while, he got used to the recoil and was able to control the gun better. The target was then moved to 20 yards, and once he got it down, it went up to 30 yards. After the semiautomatic pistol came a pump-action shotgun with a pistol grip instead of a regular stock. This worked the same way as the pistol training; Mordecai slowly get used to the recoil, hits the targets accurately, and the target moves further back. Then came a semiautomatic carbine rifle of the kind he'd seen the guards carrying; and it was the same routine as the others. Mordecai was thankful he practiced with a light-gun on his video games at the park. The recoil proved to be startling, but firing a few times helped him to quickly manage it.

He was then taken to a room with the Commander, where he sat behind a large desk, while Mordecai sat in a chair in front of him while he looked over Mordecai's results on a screen built into the desk, occasionally humming.

"Now, Mordecai," he finally began, "I assume you expected a position in A.T.L.A.S. …"

Mordecai swallowed. This didn't sound good, "Look, sir, if you'll just let me retake the-" he said before the Commander cut him off.

"As I was saying," the Commander continued, "you have no need to retake them; you passed."

"Please! I just—wait, I passed?" Mordecai asked.

The Commander nodded, "Barely, but you did meet the necessary standards for our unit. Congratulations, Mordecai, you are now an Aletheia agent." He said, holding out his hand.

Mordecai shook the Commander's hand, "Great, I'm glad to be with you guys." He said.

"Just remember," he said, "a job as an agent is pretty dull; you're just pushin' paper…drinkin' coffee…the only fun thing about the job is the chance to go after some crooks working against us."

Mordecai raised a brow, "There's people working against Aletheia?" he asked.

"You have no idea…" said the Commander, "…countless people have tried to steal Aletheia's research and profits. Or even make false allegations. We've had to settle out of _countless_ lawsuits. But, you'll learn about this later. For now, you oughta head home and rest up. We're expecting you here tomorrow." He said.

"Yes sir, I be here." Said Mordecai. He then drove back to Mia's apartment after receiving a key to access the Military floor of the complex. He couldn't believe it; he was an agent in Aletheia! How the company worked, he didn't know; they seemed pretty lenient with their agent training program. But that doesn't matter now. He finally got a different employment. Now, all he can do is try to forget all these bad memories of the park, which is no problem after his successful recruitment.


	9. Ch. 8 - A Fresh Start

The park staff was informed by Rigby, Margaret, and Eileen of Mordecai's possible whereabouts at the Aletheia Corporation. Benson was thankful for them to have gotten their hands on this information.

"Now, we'll head over, see if he's there, and force him to come back!" said Benson, chuckling slightly.

"But…" said Margaret, hesitating at what she would say, "…if he got an employment there, you would have to speak to his boss."

"…Even then, making them let him go isn't easy." Said Eileen.

Rigby laughed, "PFFT! I can do anything to get him back with us! I'm his best friend, y'know." He said.

"I don't know," said Eileen, "Aletheia is one of the biggest and richest corporations in the world. Finding out what department he could be working in would take quite a bit time…if he _did_ get a job there, which we'd better hope not…"

At that moment, Margaret's husband, Paul, appeared, "Hey, sweetie. What's been going on?" he asked Margaret.

"Hey, Paul. We were just talking about finding our missing friend." Said Margaret.

Paul raised a brow, "That Mordecai dude? He's still gone?"

Margaret nodded, "Yeah, and I have hunch of what he might have done…I just hope I'm wrong." She said.

"Margaret," said Eileen, "you shouldn't focus on the worst-case scenario. It's not always like that! We could hope for the best, and it might work!"

Paul took Margaret's hand, "Just keep your chin up. We'll know soon enough." He said.

Margaret smiled and hugged Paul, "Thanks." She said, just before giving him a quick kiss.

"So," said Paul after Margaret released him, "what do you have to go on?"

Margaret pulled out the Aletheia business card from her pocket, "We think he went to this place." She said, showing Paul the card.

Paul suddenly frowned, and his breathing became noticeably faster, "…Th…the Aleth-theia…C-C-Corpora-ation…?" he stammered, swallowing afterwards. His fingers trembled.

Margaret narrowed her eyes, "What's wrong? You look worried." She asked.

Paul quickly recollected himself, "…Nothing. Everything's good." He said.

Margaret didn't say anything else. They quickly joined Benson and the rest of the staff to discuss what to do next.

(XXXX)

On the day following his training, Mordecai awoke to find Mia in the kitchen. She appeared to be mixing and cooking something.

"Hey, Mia." Said Mordecai.

Mia turned around, "Oh, Mordecai, you're awake!" she said, brightly. She set down a ladle she was using into a bowl, "Do you like pancakes?" she asked.

"Definitely." Said Mordecai. Back at the park, he might have said "Yeeeeeah, I do!", but for some reason, the absence of Rigby has sedated his child-like and irresponsible persona, and has awakened his naturally mature state.

"Alright," said Mia, "they'll be ready in a few minutes." And with that, she resumed stirring and occasionally adjusting the stove, "So, how'd it go yesterday?" she asked.

"Well, I did some training, and have been accepted into A.T.L.A.S." he said, proudly.

Mia's eyes widened, "You're an agent now? That's great! So, today is where they assign you to your squad and issue you your weapons."

"So, what squad are you in?" Mordecai asked.

"Well," Mia began, "I was placed into the A.T.L.A.S. Bravo Team originally, but I was then put in the Alpha Team due to a lack of agents in other squads. Apparently, they had to fill up the first ones of the alphabet to make room in the others."

"Huh," said Mordecai, "I didn't know they would just change you around at random. I didn't think it would work like that."

Mia shrugged, "Well, none are different than the others…with the exception of different mission records and Captains' logs, which agents aren't really concerned about." She said, "As for the Alpha Team, we're currently working to catch some dude who has caused major problems in every department in Aletheia."

"Really?" said Mordecai, amazed, "Who?"

"I can't say." She said, "I cannot give information to anybody outside of the Upper Squad, that being the top five in the alphabet. If you do get put into one of them, I'll tell you, 'kay?"

Mordecai nodded, "Alright, I gotcha."

Mia took the pancakes off of the stove, and served about four of them to Mordecai. Mordecai was so anxious for his first day on the job that he ate quite fast and erratically. This was definitely going to be better than having to painstakingly mow a vast lawn, pick up trash off sidewalks, paint a house, or any boring, insignificant work. Now that he's an agent, he has the power to tell even Benson what to do, rather than having it be the other way around, like all these years.


	10. Ch. 9 - Preparations

Mordecai went to the Aletheia complex following Mia. They used their elevator keycards to access the secret military floor in the underground portion of the building. It was there that they went to the Commander's desk.

"Good morning, Commander." Said Mia.

The Commander looked up from his laptop, "Ah, Agent Mia." He said, "Good to see you again."

"Yes," said Mia, "Agent Mordecai's here to be issued his weapons and given an office."

The Commander nodded, "Alright, let's see where to put you…" he muttered while looking at something on his laptop, "…well, if you're interested, we have a place on the Alpha Team open. There's also some spots in the Foxtrot, Kilo, November, Tango, or Victor Teams as well."

"I'll take the spot in the Alpha Team." Said Mordecai, knowing he would be able to work alongside Mia, whom he was most acquainted with in the department.

"Alright," said the Commander, "I'll set everything up and inform the Alpha Team's Captain. Just head over to their wing, and Captain Perkins will take it from there."

Mordecai and Mia proceeded to a different section of the military floor with doors widely spaced apart and with the letters of the alphabet above each one. They went into the first door marked with the letter "A", went down a corridor, and entered some sort of rec room. Two humans were playing air-hockey, an anthropomorphic fox was sitting on the couch with a laptop, next to him was a human girl reading a book, on an armchair was another male human sharpening a large bowie knife, and sitting in a corner with a pump-action shotgun was another human, making adjustments to the firearm.

Mia immediately went straight to a man with dark brown hair sitting in a chair behind a small chrome desk, looking at a screen on the surface of the desk. "Excuse me, Captain. I've come with the recruit the Commander should have informed you of." She said.

Captain Perkins looked up, "Oh, yes…" he said, "…pleasure to welcome you to the A.T.L.A.S. Alpha Team. I'm Chris Perkins, Captain of the squad. Allow me to escort you to your designated office, and and I'll have Steve and Marty pull some guns 'n rounds outta the arsenal for you; you're gonna need 'em for something we're working on."

"Alright," said Mordecai, "will do."

Captain Perkins stood up, "Hey, Steve! Marty!" he said.

The two playing air-hockey immediately rushed over to the Captain, "Yes, sir!" the both said simultaneously.

"I need you two to head into the armory and get the new agent here a pistol, shotgun, and assault rifle." Said Captain Perkins, "And make sure you get them from the 'approved' section this time! We can't have another agent with defective weapons!"

"Yes, sir!" the two repeated, before immediately taking the door Mordecai and Mia entered in.

"Please," said Captain Perkins, "right this way." And he took a different door beside the area his desk was in. Behind it was a short hall with many doors. He led Mordecai into a door about halfway down the hall, and inside was a large office. I had a chrome desk, bookcase, couch, visitors' chairs, virtually all the furniture was chrome, which seemed to be a theme of Aletheia's, as well as glowing white floors, walls, and ceilings.

"You seem surprised." Said Captain Perkins.

In truth, Mordecai was, even 3 days later, still surprised. "Well, yeah, I really like this sci-fi look to the place. It's like 'Hey, beam me up!'."

Captain Perkins and Mordecai both laughed, "Yeah, well, just wait here and those two knuckleheads should come back with your firearms."

"Alright." Said Mordecai, before Captain Perkins left the room.

Mordecai examined everything in the room; no doubt this was _far_ better than working at the park. He finally gets to utilize up-to-the-minute technology, with less annoyance and physical effort, and the people here seemed more compatible for his standards. He picked up a pamphlet sitting on his desk which had basic information about the Aletheia Military department. He knew that the firearms they used had to be customized and modified to a certain degree, but he never knew it would be so strict; he found the requirements each agent's sidearm had to retain:

_All Aletheia Military issue sidearms must:_

_-Be chambered in 9x19 Parabellum, or .40 Smith & Wesson._

_-Have a magazine capacity of at least 13 rounds._

_-Have fixed sights and dotted posts._

_-Be capable of producing at least a 2 inch grouping within 25 yards, with no variation after 3,000 rounds._

_-Be capable of double-action firing._

_-Be completely ambidextrous._

_-When magazine is removed, not exceed 35 ounces in weight._

Apparently, after many years of trials and tests, Aletheia chose a heavily modified Beretta 92FS inox pistol, which had many features and improvements not available on a standard pistol of the same model. Mordecai thought it was quite a good advantage to have only the best equipment available for them.

Mordecai had just finished reading when Steve and Marty came into the room, one of them holding a pistol case and a large rifle case, and the other holding another rifle case identical to the other one. They set them next to the door.

"These are your arms. Bear them well. Utilize their full potential." Said one of them.

"Uh, dude," said the other, "you can just say 'here's your guns, take care of them…whatever.' Anyways, glad you're with the team, man!" He said to Mordecai on the last sentence.

"Hey, thanks!" said Mordecai. And with that, the two left the office.

A few seconds later, Captain Perkins entered again, "Alright, Agent Mordecai, we need you to come to the mission briefing." He said.

Mordecai raised a brow, "Mission briefing? We already have an assignment?" he asked.

"Yes, this is the life of an agent; stuff comes up when you least expect it. Now, come on!" said Captain Perkins.

Mordecai immediately followed Captain Perkins to a briefing room in a door at the end of the hallway. About half of the team was there, and in seconds, the whole team was present.

"Alright, everyone." Said Captain Perkins, before the room dimmed and the reflective wall behind him lit up, revealing to be a screen, "As most of you know, we are currently on the trail of Paul Blaylock, who has stolen the samples of Virus-J from the Aletheia Health and Pharmaceuticals department." As he spoke, a database and picture came up pertaining to the person Mordecai least expected it to be.

Paul! Margaret's new husband! This perplex Mordecai to an outrageous level; _he_ was the one costing Aletheia lots of money? _He_ was the target of the A.T.L.A.S. Alpha Team? Who could've guessed?

The Captain continued to speak, "Currently, our objectives are simple; locate Blaylock, apprehend him, and retrieve the Virus-J samples. And it must be done quickly."

"What is he doing with a virus we manufactured?" asked the fox.

"Well," Captain Perkins continued, " from what our sources tell us, he's been using the genetic information of the samples to clone the pathogen, and create viral weaponry. We've only recently discovered that he is involved in a massive medical terrorist group known as Eclipse. Not only that, but we don't know yet how to locate him…"

Mordecai put his hand in the air, "Captain! I've seen Blaylock! I know where he is!"

Captain Perkins' eyes widened, "Really? If so, then where would he be?" he asked.

Mordecai walked up to the screen, and selected the "Map" tab. A satellite view of Fresco appeared on the screen. After it loaded, Mordecai choose the "Pen" option.

"Okay," said Mordecai, "I know he will probably be spending time with his wife at the park I used to work at on Fridays." He said, circling the perimeter of the Park, "Believe me; they come there _every_ Friday."

The Alpha Team all started to speak to each other anxiously, "Tomorrow's Friday!" said one of the humans.

"Alright!" said Captain Perkins, "We will request the other squads to assist in establishing a perimeter around the park overnight. We will be using normal road vehicles loaded with weapons and ammunition. We will let Blaylock in, but once he's in, do not, I repeat, _do not_ let him get away!"

"Yes, sir!" the Alpha Team said.

"Good! Well, time for you all to continue preparing for tomorrow; we got a busy day after today." Said Captain Perkins.

"What about the police? Can't they handle it?" Mordecai asked.

Captain Perkins laughed, "Oh, Agent Mordecai, in case you oughta know…Aletheia actually holds more authority than even the police!"

Mordecai was shocked, even skeptical, about this, "Really?" he asked.

"Yep." Said many people in the Alpha Team.

Everyone left the briefing room, and Mordecai, now feeling like he had more power than ever (power enough to rid him of his pain and suffering he had gone through back at the park), can put that love-stealer in his rightful place! This was truly, beyond any form of doubt whatsoever, the best thing Mordecai has been informed of. Yet…

Unbeknownst to the Alpha Team, or anyone for that matter, Paul Blaylock had bugged the A.T.L.A.S. briefing rooms much earlier after knowing where Mordecai had gone. He became aware of the plans made, and put together a defense with his countless friends. If Aletheia dared to try and arrest him, he would be ready, and they would pay the ultimate price for what has been done to him all his life…


	11. Ch. 10 - Suffering Awaits All

Paul Blaylock had spent time early in the morning, locked in his house, preparing samples of Virus-J for transport to Eclipse. He would provide samples of the original pathogen, as well as one he had made some major genetic modifications to…

"It's sheer perfection…" he muttered while working, "…my precious Virus-JX." He picked up a culture tube of the purple fluid containing his creation, "No one will _ever_ take you away from me! Ha ha ha ha!" he laughed very demonically. He would deliver Virus-J and Virus-JX samples to Eclipse for a major reward. His original offer of $25,000 for the original strain seemed fair, but they considered a larger amount of cash if he were to provide samples of an improved variation of the pathogen as well.

Of course, Aletheia was trying to ruin this operation. But, he managed to get around the issue…at least he hoped. He had organized his friends, and members of Eclipse to assist him in fighting off the A.T.L.A.S., so he could still have hope of achieving a high profit.

(XXXX)

Mordecai and the rest of the Alpha Team had been preparing all of their combat equipment if, by any given chance, Blaylock does not submit. They loaded their firearms, tested their radios, got into their full-body armor, and loaded equipment into the vehicles; armored trucks would set up a perimeter around the park, and several high-altitude tiltrotors would monitor activities, plus, they were armed, which would come in handy in the event Blaylock attempted to escape.

Mordecai, Mia, and the Alpha Team all got into an armored truck, while the rest of the squads assisting took other trucks. As they drove, Mia noticed Mordecai clenching his rifle nervously.

"You nervous?" Mia asked Mordecai.

Mordecai nodded (at least she _thinks_ he nodded; it's hard to tell due to his helmet with a one-way visor), "A little." He replied.

"That's alright," said Mia, "I was scared on my first assignment, too."

Mordecai looked up at her, as he had been staring at the ground, "What happened?" he asked.

Mia paused before she spoke: "…I don't really remember." She said, "I recall falling off a three-story building while in a hail of bullets…woke up in the Aletheia Medical Ward three days later."

Mordecai gulped. Hopefully, all goes according to plan…

They arrived at the park, though they stopped far away from the nearest entrance. Probably, this was for establishing an effective perimeter. The back door of the vehicle opened, and Captain Perkins motioned his arm out of the truck.

"Alright, we need to move quickly!" said Captain Perkins, "We confirmed that Blaylock has entered the park at precisely 7:34 this morning; let's get in, arrest him, and be on our merry way!"

The Alpha Team then exited the vehicle. All of them looked identical because of their armor, helmets, and assault rifles. They began to walk towards the entrance to the park, when a police car blared it's siren behind them. It stopped in front of them, and the police officer rushed out of the car, drawing his pistol.

"Stop!" he yelled, "Drop the guns!"

The Alpha Team continued to move, as if the officer wasn't there. But, this only provoked the officer further.

"I SAID STOP!" the officer shouted, "I will shoot! STOP! Drop your weapons!" about three seconds after finishing, the cop fired at the Alpha Team.

Two Alpha Team members aimed their assault rifles, and fired, cutting down the officer with full-auto firepower. Mordecai, however, had not fired his weapon; he could not believe what he just saw. They had just killed a police officer! Was this how Aletheia worked!? Did they do their jobs while stopping anyone that interferes or threatens them!? But…Mordecai remember Captain Perkins saying that Aletheia holds more authority than the police. Was this because they had lots of money? Could they simply buy their way out of a lawsuit? If that is the case, then Aletheia is effectively above the law. In any case, what they're doing is going to save the lives of millions from viral warfare.

"Control," said Captain Perkins on his radio, "this is Perkins. Shots fired. Request reinforcements."

" _Copy that,_ " said a voice over the radio, " _dispatching teams Bravo, Charlie, and Delta._ "

They then made it to the entrance to the park, just as familiar as Mordecai had remembered. So familiar that it swept him back in time. He was instantly met by old memories and reminiscences. But, it was suddenly interrupted…

*BANG*

*PING-PING-PING-PING*

*BOOM*

Instantly, gunfire and explosions came from somewhere ahead of them. The Alpha Team immediately took cover, and returned fire in the direction of the hostile artillery.

"I don't see them anywhere!" said an Alpha Team member.

"All tiltrotors," said Captain Perkins, "Code Zeta-4! Prepare to attack!"

" _We gotcha, Captain,_ " said a responding voice, "Wildfire _, standing by._ "

And the same thing kept coming up from different voices:

"Unicorn _, standing by._ "

"Redline _, standing by._ "

"Cobra _, standing by._ "

"Nova, _standing by_."

"Carbonite _, standing by._ "

Mia took the same shelter as Mordecai, firing at the attackers with her shotgun. "Damn! _Anything_ goes first time, am I right?" she said.

Mordecai shrugged, "I guess so. Keep firing!" he yelled, opening fire with his assault rifle (fortunately, the shots were not loud to them, thanks to the noise-cancelling headphones in their helmets). More and more sirens starting blaring in the distance; the police and S.W.A.T. were on their way.

" _Wait, everyone look closely,_ " said Captain Perkins over the radios, " _do you see the markings on their armor? It's Eclipse!_ "

" _Are you saying Blaylock was onto us the whole time!?_ " an Alpha Team agent said.

There was a pause. " _…I believe so._ " Said Captain Perkins.

So, if Paul found out about the attack…he might escape with the virus samples!

(XXXX)

Only minutes before gunfire, Margaret, Eileen, and Paul were on their way over to the house to make arrangements to visit the Aletheia Corporation complex, once they were able to locate it. On the way there, Paul was carrying a small, metal briefcase with him.

"Whatcha got, Paul?" Eileen asked.

Paul tugged at his shirt collar nervously, "…It's…uh…my lunch." He stuttered.

"Your lunch?" Margaret asked.

Paul nodded, "Yes; I just like to keep my sandwiches hot." He said, quickly.

Margaret looked suspicious, but neither her nor Eileen further questioned him about the case, which, unbeknownst to either of the girls, contained a .45 caliber handgun samples of Virus-J and Virus-JX. As they were about to reach the house, a loud bang went off somewhere; it was like a cannon.

"What the hell was that!?" Margaret asked after the noise's echo died down. More and more bangs of a slightly lower volume started going off. A few seconds later, Benson out of the house, with a frightened Pops embracing him tightly.

"Get off me!" said Benson.

"But I'm scared!" said Pops.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Pops." Said Benson in a reassuring tone. He marched down the steps to the other three, "What's going on!?" he yelled.

"We don't know!" said Eileen, "We should probably get inside!"

All of them rushed into the house, where they found Rigby staring out the window in amazement, "Awesome!" he yelled, "This is like Call of Duty, or Metal Gear!"

"Are you insane!?" Benson yelled, "We're in danger!"

Just then, Muscle Man, Starla, High-Five Ghost, Skips, and Thomas all rushed inside, panting heavily.

"Yo, dudes and dude-ettes!" said Muscle Man, "There's some _crazy shit_ goin' on out there!" he pointed his thumb in the direction of the explosions.

"Oh, _really_!?" said Thomas, "Yeah, of course, _really hard_ to notice."

"Enough!" said Benson, "We need to stop this! We're going to go see what these assholes are doing, and get them to stop!"

"Are you insane!?" said High-Five Ghost, "Those sound like guns! Even though I can't die _twice_ , I'm not letting any of you get hurt!"

"No!" Benson retaliated, "We show them who's in charge here! I don't care if they have guns or an atom bomb, just get them to stop!"

More and more did the rest of the group debate, whilst Paul snuck upstairs with the case…

(XXXX)

The Alpha Team continued to uphold defense against Eclipse, taking no harm from even the bullets that struck them. Their armor is, after all, state-of-the-art; the best that the Aletheia Corporation can afford. To Mordecai, the bullets felt like Rigby trying to punch him whenever they played "punchies", a game that now seemed so childish to him.

" _This is Perkins,_ " said Captain Perkins over the radio, " _we have confirmation that 20% of the property has been secured. All tiltrotors, lower in altitude, and deactivate cloaking panels._ "

" _Roger._ " Came voices over the radio again and again. After few more minutes of fighting and moving further into the park, several tiltrotor aircrafts started to come out of the sky and out of thin air from what it looked like; they were reverting from an invisible state.

" _Use infrared targeting systems,_ " came Captain Perkins' voice on the radios, " _prepare 20mm miniguns. Take out hostile parties._ "

" _Copy that._ " Came a pilot's voice. The tiltrotors started to face towards the Eclipse mercenaries, who started shooting at the aircrafts, and fire at the crafts with rocket launchers. The aircrafts avoided destruction by firing missiles at the propelled grenades, and took out many of the enemies with the miniguns mounted beneath the cockpits.

Suddenly, Mordecai felt a bullet hit his armor from behind. Unharmed, he turned around to see many police and S.W.A.T. officers firing at the Alpha Team and the tiltrotors. The Alpha Team started to fire back, easily taking them out with armor-piercing bullets, when another voice came over the radio.

" _Alpha Team, this is Captain Schaeffer of the Bravo Team,_ " said a feminine voice, " _we will hold off the police; get to Blaylock as fast as you can!_ "

" _Understood,_ " came Captain Perkins' voice, " _let's move!_ "

The Alpha Team immediately made their way to the house at a breakneck pace, shooting any remaining Eclipse mercenaries. When they got to the house, they found two people trying to sneak out.

"Stop!" an Alpha Team agent yelled at them.

When Mordecai got a clear look, he saw that it was Pops, Muscle Man, and High-Five Ghost, who they didn't see at first.

Pops put his hands in the air, "I submit! Just please don't bring me any harm!" he pleaded.

Muscle Man, however, had a different mood: "Yo, ladies, if you want me, _come get me_!" and he pulled off his shirt and started showing off martial arts with weird noises: "Hee-yah! Hoo! Ha! Woo! Huh!"

The Alpha Team agents looked at each other, and then aimed their rifles at Muscle Man, who ran off screaming. "Stop! Get on the ground!" two agents yelled, chasing him. Another agent brought Pops' hands down, and put him in handcuffs. He caught High-Five Ghost in some kind of beam from a device on his wrist.

"This is agent Justin," he said on his radio, "we have detainees. Lock in on this current location." He looked at the remaining team, "Go; there's no time to waste!"

The rest of the team continued up the steps and into the house, where they found Skips with a crossbow, and Benson with nunchucks, "GET OUT OF MY PARK!" Benson yelled, swinging his nunchucks at an agent, who reacted by catching them, grabbing Benson, and throwing him against the wall. He rushed over and handcuffed him. "No! Let me go! You won't get away with this!" he yelled, struggling to get out of the cuffs.

"Not after you've answered some questions back at the base." Said the agent, before dragging Benson away, who kept arguing and struggling.

Skips, Thomas, and Starla appeared upstairs, pushing a big bookcase down the stairs to crush the remaining team members; fortunately, it missed. Some more agents rushed up the stairs, catching Thomas and Starla, who tried to escape. Skips, however, knew he wouldn't win, and held his hands behind his back, which an agent cuffed.

Mordecai, Captain Perkins, and another agent proceeded to check the rooms.

(XXXX)

Paul, in the meantime, was busy preparing the samples for transport by making adjustments to the environment within the culture tubes. His phone rang, and he answered it to the number of the Eclipse director.

"Hello, director." Said Paul.

" _Blaylock, time's running short!_ " came the director's voice, " _We need the samples to proceed with operation D.E.M.O.N., and we're about to miss our deadline!_ "

"Don't worry; no one will steal Virus-JX. I've got everything perfectly planned; I guarantee that our bioweapon will infect Fresco within three day!"

" _Just finish this! If you mess this up, you're done!_ " said the director, furiously.

"Alright, I'll have the samples delivered!" he said, hanging up afterwards. Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. Paul picked up his gun and grabbed the case. "So, you've come." He said to the A.T.L.A.S. agents while holding his gun at them.

"Blaylock," said Captain Perkins, "we're here to collect the Virus-J and Virus-JX samples."

"I'm not going to hand over my life's work! My legacy!" he said, dragging the case backwards on the table. He accidentally knocked over a pencil cup, and the third agent standing next to Mordecai opened fire on Paul with his full-auto rifle due to the sound of the cup falling.

"Stop!" yelled Captain Perkins, "You might hit the samples!" he rushed over, and picked up the case sitting next to Paul, who was lying in a pool of his own blood, "We got them, let's move out!" said Captain Perkins.

As they left the room, Mordecai looked back at the dying Paul. _Serves you right, crush-stealing bastard._ He thought, putting another bullet in his leg. He immediately left afterwards.

Margaret and Eileen came out of their hiding place in the attic, and found Paul.

"Paul!" Eileen yelled in horror at the sight of his lost blood.

Margaret rushed over, "Oh my God, Paul!" she yelled, looking at his injuries. She started crying, "Don't worry, sweetie, I'll take care of that bullet wound!" she said, rushing with Eileen downstairs to find a medicine kit.

Paul, however, kept a syringe of Virus-JX in his pocket, just in case Aletheia took the samples. "…My creation…will save…me…" he said out loud, unsealing the syringe. He plunged the hollow needle into his chest, and injected the virus into himself. He lay gasping for a few seconds, before he opened his once brown eyes, which now had hyperdilated pupils and acute bloodshot, due to the gene change caused by the virus.

When Margaret and Eileen made it back to treat Paul, they found him gone…


	12. Ch. 11 - Truth Revealed

Once, the gunfire and footsteps had gone down, Rigby had emerged from his hiding place in the cellar and went upstairs to find Margaret and Eileen in one of the rooms.

"Hey, guys." Said Rigby, "What's wrong? Where's Paul?"

"That's what _we_ want to know." Said Eileen.

"Whaddya mean?" Rigby asked.

"Well," Margaret hesitantly began, "Paul got shot by those dudes in black-"

"Oh, man!" Rigby shouted, looking at the blood on the floor, "He was _shot_!? Damn, that's brutal!"

"And when we found him," said Eileen, "we went to get the medicine kit. But when we found it and came back…he was gone."

"Gone?" Rigby asked, "Maybe he died and his ghost carried his body away." He said, snickering.

Margaret glared, "It's not funny! C'mon, we have to find out what happened to him! I can't live without my cutie pie!"

Rigby snickered, " 'Cutie pie'…?" He whispered to himself.

"Alright," said Eileen, "I don't hear any close gunshots, so it might be safe to go outside now."

They then grabbed some walkie-talkies that were conveniently located in the closet, and set out to find Paul.

(XXXX)

The A.T.L.A.S. squads were trying to get a cease-fire between the police and themselves. Once they did, the agents ordered the officers to drop their weapons. After a bit of persuasion, they did so, and the A.T.L.A.S. did the same. The Commander then started to explain what was going on and why it was necessary to bring weapons. The police chief said this was not something to take into their own hands, but to leave it to them, or the F.B.I. The Commander then presented a copy of a warrant for the chief to read over, and a copy of a waiver signed by a previous police chief. After a few minutes of looking over the text, the chief ordered the S.W.A.T. and officers to return to their posts, which they might have done, if it hadn't been for something else…

An unearthly roar erupted from within the park; it didn't sound like any animal, but it was definitely a living creature. The police and A.T.L.A.S. picked up their weapons and slowly made their way into the park. After a minute of searching, something suddenly popped out in front of them, making them all jump back and fire a few shots.

"What the hell is that!?" an A.T.L.A.S. agent exclaimed.

"Shoot it down!" an officer yelled.

The thing standing in front of them was about ten feet tall, with a bald head, slimy, brownish-green skin and red eyes. It had very carnivorous-looking teeth, a large, muscular build, and thick, long, machete-like claws on it's hands. There was a translucent Y-shape on it's chest that it's heart beating could be seen through. It was ugly; it looked like an alien, as it definitely looked like it did not belong on Earth.

The police and A.T.L.A.S. all began to open fire on the creature, and once they believed they put enough gunfire in it, they stopped. But the bullets dropped back out of their wounds and fell to the ground, while the wounds seemed to be instantaneously healing. The creature then shrieked and darted at the officers and agents. It slashed through a line of police officers that had been firing at it with only handguns. Next, it took out a series of A.T.L.A.S. agents. Mordecai, Mia, and the rest of the Alpha Team all fled the area to come up with a better strategy.

"Captain," said an agent, "What _is_ that thing!?"

Captain Perkins sighed, "Well, it's the result of the strain of Virus-J that Blaylock had been experimenting with. But, as you can tell, he made some very dangerous changes to it."

"What do you mean?" Mordecai asked.

"Well," Captain Perkins began, "Virus-J is capable of revitalizing organs and _very_ quick regeneration of fibrinogen and platelets for rapid healing, as it was to be used for medical benefits."

"A virus that _helps_ people?" Mia asked, "I've never heard of such a thing…"

Captain Perkins continued, "So, the strain Blaylock created still holds the same traits as the original, but…he has made some very dangerous changes to the viral chromosomes. And _he_ was the one who suffered the results."

Mordecai was in the most shock he had ever been in, in his life. The creature…was Paul!? That can't be possible. It simply isn't possible. Yet…with the technology and research Aletheia retains, it can't be doubted. The mutated virus strain must have caused an acute reaction in Paul, and turned him into that…thing.

"So, I don't know how we're gonna do it," said Captain Perkins, "but we gotta kill Blaylock; it's the only way to stop him for good."

Mordecai took no hesitation to make his decision; it was time for Paul to suffer the retribution that's been coming for him. He would do it. He was going to find a way to end this once and for all.

(XXXX)

Rigby, Margaret, and Eileen all split up to search for Paul. They scanned practically every square inch of the park that was safe, but they still could not find him.

"I'm thinkin' he's left the park." Said Rigby.

Margaret gulped, "We'd better hope not." She said.

"Hey, guys!" said Eileen, holding a folded up sheet of paper, "Look what I found."

Rigby and Margaret immediately went over to take a look at what Eileen found. She opened it up to introduce them to a picture of a human silhouette, and another silhouette of some strange, taller creature. The top of the paper read: Eclipse _Operation D.E.M.O.N. Update No. 327—Paul Blaylock._

"Eclipse?" asked Rigby.

"Operation D.E.M.O.N.?" asked Eileen.

Margaret had no comment; she simply continued to read:

_Test subjects of the Aletheia Corporation whom had the first successful version of Virus-J placed within their bloodstream experienced amazing results in terms of withstanding great injury or illness. This has led Eclipse to believe it could be used to make the perfect superhuman; a bio-organic weapon. As such, a more complex strain of the virus, known as Virus-JX, was create, and will be taken to Eclipse upon completion. Once the bioweapon is completed, Fresco will be used as a testing ground._

Margaret could not believe her eyes; Paul was working for a medical terrorist group!? She could not take this in. She desperately wanted this text to be a mirage. But she read on:

_Virus-JX is capable of altering the host's DNA on a codon-level, resulting in thickened skin, larger muscle tissue, swollen brain, large increase in stamina, a fever of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and minor inflammation. The process can be reversed within the few seconds after exposure, but after five minutes, it becomes irreversible. This makes for the perfect biological warfare, as killing these subjects is no easy task. The only con of this strain is the fact that it is not airborne, and can only be transferred if it enters the bloodstream directly (as it cannot penetrate the skin), which can be done by the subjects via slashing or stabbing with the "swords" on their hands._

Margaret suddenly realized; Paul must have injected the virus he made into himself to stay alive! But, his genes had a major reaction to it…and it must mean he's now the creature in the picture.

"Wow," said Rigby, who was reading the page, "sounds like something out of _Alien vs. Predator_!"

But Margaret began to cry. Eileen put a hand on her shoulder.

"Th-this…can't be t-t-true." She sniffled, "I…I thought that…he and I were…" she stopped and began to cry again.

"Look, Margaret," said Eileen, "It's not your fault. We all fall for the wrong person at some point in our life."

Margaret took a few minutes to calm down, "Al…alright. Let's find out what happened, and…see what we can do to help."


	13. Ch. 12 - The Devil's Hour

All remaining police officers and A.T.L.A.S. agents had been ordered to clear the area and not engage the mutated Blaylock. The tiltrotors began to open fire with the mounted miniguns, as they had run out of missiles from holding off the police and S.W.A.T., but it didn't fare much better than even a 9mm; Blaylock's wounds keep healing almost as if nothing happened. Dark clouds had covered the sun, and started to emit flashes of lightning and booms of thunder. This forced the tiltrotors to stay low to avoid the static discharges. Rain and winds had appeared, too, making flight for the aircrafts even more difficult.

The Alpha Team managed to get some sniper-rifles from one of the trucks, and tried to use Depleted Uranium rounds to try and incapacitate Blaylock, but nothing was working at this point.

"What are we gonna do!?" Mia yelled.

"Well," Captain Perkins began, "I don't know yet. We're doing all we can. Damn…if the virus wasn't capable of rapid healing…"

Mordecai, however, was unfazed by the team's uncertainty. He was hellbent on going to any length to stop Paul; he stole his love, and now…he's going to steal his old memories! There was no way he was going to suffer any more negative effects from him. Of course, he wasn't going to mention this to the team…

(XXXX)

Margaret, Eileen, and Rigby all left to search for Paul. Some time through their search, they heard a loud, nonhuman shriek nearby.

"What was that?" Eileen asked.

Margaret hoped it wasn't what she thought, "Let's go see…" she said.

Creeping through some bushes, they saw a tall, greenish-brown monster that had the same shape as the outline in the document.

"Woah!" said Rigby, "That's him! Damn, why can't that happen to _me_!?"

Eileen nudged him hard.

"Well," said Rigby, "if I could still control my mind…"

"Paul!" said Margaret, who came out of the bushes. The creature turned to look at the robin.

"Mar-" Eileen was about to yell, but Rigby covered her mouth just in time.

"Quiet, or he'll kill us!" said Rigby.

Tears came to Margaret's eyes, "Paul…is that you?" she said. The creature tilted it's head, as if curiously, and then let out a loud roar.

"Paul, please!" said Margaret, "Don't you recognize me!?" The creature made a strange waving gesture with it's long claws.

Margaret sighed, "What happened to you, Paul...? Why would you betray me…? Everyone…?"

Suddenly, the creature sprinted at Margaret, and wound up it's arm. Rigby and Eileen shut their eyes tight. "AAAAAAAAGH!" Margaret screamed as she was slashed. The creature then let out a triumphant shout, and then sprinted away.

Rigby and Eileen emerged from the bush, "Margaret!" Eileen yelled.

Margaret had three gashes on her side, and around her entire body was a lot of bruising. "…Rig-by…Ei-leen…" she said.

"Yeah, Margaret, what?" said Rigby, anxiously.

The robin pulled them both closer, "…You…h-have to…stop…P…P-Paul…" as she spoke, blood started to stream out of her mouth.

"No, Margaret," said Eileen, "we're going to find help. Just don't move, and try to keep pressure on your cuts."

And they both ran off, despite Margaret trying to tell them more. Yet, Eileen was completely aware that she dropped the Virus-JX document.

(XXXX)

Just then, the Alpha Team had tried to catch up to Blaylock again, but had just missed him.

"Dammit!" said Captain Perkins, "He just can't stay in one spot, can he?"

"Wait," said an agent, "there's someone over here!" he said, pointing to a clearing beyond the bushes.

The team quickly rushed over to find a female robin lying on the ground with deep cuts in her side. Mordecai's chest tightened at the sight; it was Margaret. Paul had attacked her!

"No!" said Mordecai, pushing his way over, "she…she's not…"

"Don't worry," said Mia, checking Margaret's pulse, "she's still alive."

Suddenly, Margaret stirred, "…Y…you…" she strained.

"What?" said Mordecai.

"…You…did this…to my s-sweetie…" she said, "…and now…you'll all g-go…to Hell…" and she started to laugh, before she passed out.

Mia opened one of Margaret's eyes and examined it, "Oh, this isn't good. She's been infected!"

"Outta my way!" said an agent, aiming a shotgun at Margaret's head.

"NO!" yelled Mordecai, yanking the firearm out of his hands.

"Dude, whaddya doin'!?" he yelled, "We can't stop her infection!"

"Hey, what's this?" said another agent, picking up a folded sheet of paper. He unfolded it, and looked over it, "It's a log…about Operation D.E.M.O.N.; it's Eclipse! And it's all about the strain Blaylock made…Virus-JX?"

Captain Perkins took the document, "Let's see here…" he mumbled, looking over it for a moment, "Ah!" he said as he read a passage (that Margaret, Eileen, and Rigby hadn't yet read), "There's an antimutation! We have to administer the original Virus-J strain into her blood to counter the mutated strain."

At the moment, the unconscious Margaret began to moan painfully.

"Just do it! Hurry!" said Mordecai.

"Alright!" said Captain Perkins, rapidly opening the samples case, pulling out a syringe, and filling it with a sample of Virus-J. Margaret's muscles began to contract rapidly out of control, like she was having a seizure. Three agents restrained her while Captain Perkins administered the counter-virus. A few seconds later, she stopped jerking around, and lay completely motionless.

"Margaret!?" said Mordecai. He tried to tap her on the beak, "Margaret, wake up! Please!" he then tried to shake her, but still nothing. "Margaret, please! You can't do this." He violently jerked the robin back and forth, yet she did not stir, "Oh no, please don't be…you're not…are you… _dead_!?" Tears were streaming out of Mordecai's face and making his helmet visor misty. "NOOOO!" he shouted. He then stood up, and walked out of the group.

"Uh…Mordecai?" said Mia.

"Dude?" said another agent.

Mordecai was filling with highly explosive anger; he could not take in anything that had just happened. But…he could not deny the truth any longer. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" he yelled, facing the sky, and making several birds fly away out of trees. Now Paul had done it. He has finally crossed the line. This time, Mordecai was going to be _absolutely sure_ that he would be given the retribution he had spent the last few days (and especially the last few minutes) earning.


	14. Ch. 13 - Retribution

Mordecai had ran off from the rest of the Alpha Team, despite their persuading him that it was too dangerous to go alone. He didn't care; he was going to get rid of the inane bastard Blaylock once and for all.

"Blaylock!" Mordecai shouted, "Where are you!?" veins throbbing in his forehead and neck, he looked around, and saw the mutated Paul trying to tear down the snack bar. Mordecai ran up to the area, "Blaylock!" he yelled.

Blaylock stopped destroying the small building, and turned around to see Mordecai. Mordecai then pulled out his rifle and started to fire on Blaylock full-auto. Blaylock merely flinch and held up his thick arms to stop the bullets, but his wounds healed too quickly to kill with this rate of fire. Blaylock screeched, and made a dash at Mordecai, who jumped off to the side right as Paul was about to collide with him, and rolled back onto his feet.

Mordecai then took out his shotgun, and started to fire as fast as he could pump it at Blaylock's face. He squinted his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, but his face slowly looked less deformed again. Blaylock charged in for another strike. Anticipating another dodge, Blaylock held his long claws off to his sides, which forced Mordecai to run and jump at Blaylock, doing a handspring off his head and landing on his feet behind Blaylock.

This was when Mordecai made a run for it, as he only had seconds before Blaylock was hot on his tail. Then, Mordecai saw something that could finally help him; it was a 40mm bazooka sitting next to an Eclipse mercenary corpse. He quickly picked it up and managed to jump out of the way when he heard Blaylock charging at him from behind, making Blaylock fall into the lake that happened to be there.

Mordecai aimed the rocket launcher at the water as Blaylock recovered from the fall, "You stole my love, my life, and now, my _old memories_!" he yelled. Blaylock emerged wailing in agony; he was covered in algae that appeared to be merging to his skin, irritating it. "Yeah, I hope it hurts like hell! You deserve _far_ more than that, though! You don't belong in this world, or with Margaret! It's time for you to burn and rot in the catacombs of Hell!"

Panting, Blaylock looked up and glared at Mordecai with his piercing, bloodshot eyes.

Mordecai slowly pulled the trigger on the launcher "YIPPIE-KAI-YAY, MOTHER-"

*BOOM*

Mordecai fired the bazooka at Blaylock, sending a blinding projectile through the air that hit Blaylock in the chest and exploded. The blast send Mordecai flying backwards, as well as a large wave of water in all directions, which carried Mordecai a few feet further back. Dazed and tired, Mordecai remain laying as the water receded back into the lake. Despite his full-body soreness, he was finally, at long, fricking last, satisfied. He looked up to see absolutely no trace of Blaylock anywhere in the lake or the surrounding area. He was dead. Blaylock was dead.

Mordecai had never felt more happy, even after winning _Double Dragon_ with Rigby when he worked at the park. He was finally relieved of a heavy burden on his shoulders, and proved that anyone, no matter how strong or powerful, can be served justice. And he fainted.

(XXXX)

Mordecai awoke the next day in a familiar-looking place; he was back in Mia's house.

"Ugh…" he moaned, "…what happened?"

"Mordecai!" said Mia, "You're awake?"

Mordecai sat up and rubbed his eyes, "…How long was I out?"

Mia shrugged, "Couple of days." She said, "But, anyways, the whole A.T.L.A.S. unit is grateful for what you did yesterday."

Mordecai smiled, "Aw, it was nothin'." He said.

Mia rasped, "Are you kidding!? You were amazing! Even the Commander said 'If it wasn't for him, I don't think we could've finished the mission so quickly'. Anyways, they're going to give you a large sum of money for helping us complete the assignment."

"How much?" Mordecai asked.

"…One million dollars." Said Mia, clearing envious, but in an excited way.

Mordecai's eyes widened. A million bucks!? Just for doing his job!? No way; he had to be dreaming. However, when he punched himself in the face when Mia turned away, he found it to be all too real.

Mia sat down on the couch next to him, "You're a real hero, Mordecai. I'll never forget that day." She said.

Mordecai gulped nervously, but decided to go with the flow. Both of them slowly started to lean in towards each other, gradually closing their eyes. And then, their lips met. Though it was only a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity. But then…Mia pulled away.

"Mia?" asked Mordecai, "…You retreated."

Mia sighed, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that." She said.

"What? Why?" Mordecai asked.

"Well," Mia began, "it's about Aletheia, how it works, to be exact."

"Whaddya mean?" Mordecai asked.

Mia sighed again, "Well, this may be hard for you to understand, but…the Aletheia Corporation prohibits any employees from engaging in any romantic or sexual activity."

Mordecai's jaw dropped, " _What_!? What's that about, then?"

"It's because the company believes it's too much of a distraction, which is why we're so wealthy; they don't want to let the profits slip." Said Mia.

Mordecai couldn't grasp this at all. The company prohibits people from being in a relationship? That's just flat-out stupid! What company does that!? Why interfere with natural selection!? But, Mordecai thought for a moment; no relationship, no heartbreak…

"Hmmm…well, rules are rules. I suppose I could live with them." Said Mordecai.

"If you say so." Said Mia, "Oh, yeah. By the way…" she handed Mordecai a medical chart, "you might wanna thank the paramedics for waking up Margaret; she wasn't dead, just unconscious…"

Mordecai looked at the charts. His eyes widened as he looked up from them, then an enormous smile spread over his face as he started to shake rapidly, and then, without warning, he made a break for the door, and went down the stairs of the building.

Mia sighed, "He'll never learn to get over her…not even for me." She said to herself, sadly, yet sarcastically.


	15. Ch. 14 - Resentment

Mordecai rushed to the Aletheia complex and over to the medical wing. After getting the room number Margaret was in, he sprinted over to said room, ignoring people telling him to slow down. He entered an intensive care unit to see Margaret laying in a bed surround by monitors. Her entire mid-section torso was covered in slightly bloodstained bandages, and an IV injecting some bluish-green drug into her arm. At the moment, she appeared to be asleep.

"Margaret." Mordecai said out loud.

Margaret stirred, and then her eyes opened. "…M…Mordecai…?" she said, "…Where am I…?"

"We're in the hospital at the Aletheia Corporation complex." Said Mordecai.

"Aletheia…?" said Margaret, "…Wait. This is the company you blew off your job at the park for!"

Mordecai sighed, "Yes. You've caught me. Why is it such a big deal?"

"I know exactly why you're upset!" said Margaret, "All this time, you've had a _crush_ on me! Rigby told me!"

"Uuuuugh!" Mordecai groaned, "What kind of world is this? Where people don't keep secrets anymore?"

Margaret narrowed her eyes, "Just because I like some other guy gives you no right to run off and leave your friends behind! You betrayed us, Mordecai. All of us…"

"I couldn't work under those conditions!" Mordecai retaliated, "If I just kept going, everything would go completely whack!"

Margaret continued to glare at him.

"Besides," said Mordecai, "I'm sure everyone would be better off with a company like Aletheia; they have rules against being in a relationship or being married!"

"What!?" said Margaret, "Why would anyone enjoy _that_!?"

Mordecai folded his arms, "One: because it helps to limit distractions and focus more on corporate priorities, which is how Aletheia became a large-scale commercial entity through high profits. Two: it gives you the chance to meet people you can relate to! You hurt me, Margaret. Deeply, too."

"Hmph," said Margaret, smugly, "as I should have. You are being completely ridiculous! I'm even beginning to question whether or not I want to know you anymore!"

Mordecai nodded, "Yes; I can live with that just fine! You had your chance with me since we first met, and you just threw that opportunity down the toilet!

"I only liked you as a friend!" said Margaret.

"…Which gives me an even better reason to put you out of my life!" said Mordecai.

"And now, Paul will never be the same again! A bunch of people came and turned him into a monster and he hurt me!" Margaret yelled, tears streaming down her face, "And I heard…he's dead! _Dead_! I hope you got what you wanted, Mordecai, because now, I'll never be happy again!"

Mordecai turned towards the door, "Good, maybe now you'll see how _I_ have to get along without a significant other. You will learn!" he said, exiting and shutting the door.

"Get out of my ROOOOOOOOOOOM!" Margaret yelled.

Mordecai opened the door again, "I _am_ out of the room!" he said before shutting the door again.

Margaret picked up her pillow, and let out a long, furious shriek into it.

(XXXX)

Mordecai returned to Mia's apartment, slouching in grief. Mia looked over at him from the table.

"So…?" Mia asked.

"Yes." Said Mordecai.

"And…?" Mia asked again.

"No." Mordecai responded.

Mia frowned, "What? Was she unhappy?" she asked.

"… _Very_." Said Mordecai, "She's pissed that I left to join you guys, and that we raided the park, and that we killed Blaylock!"

Mia placed a hand on Mordecai's shoulder, "Did you try to defend yourself?"

Mordecai nodded, "But I completely regret being so mean to her. I've really liked her ever since I first met her at the coffee shop."

"She shouldn't blame you; you were hurt, furious, and didn't know what you were doing." Said Mia, "You became impulsive from jealous, but that's okay. It's instinct, it's completely natural. Plus, Blaylock was a criminal. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Mordecai sighed, "Thanks, Mia." He said.

"So," said Mia, "wanna go grab some espresso?"

"What? No!" said Mordecai, "I don't want to go to the damn coffee shop!"

Mia chuckled, "Not there. I think there's a Starbucks just two blocks away. Whaddya say?"

Mordecai smiled, "I'll totally go." He said.

Mia hugged Mordecai, "Thanks." She said.

Mordecai hugged Mia back, "No problem." He said.


	16. Ch. 15 - Interrogations

Two days following the incident at the Park, the Park staff was being held in a locked room in the military wing of the Aletheia complex. Benson was repeatedly pounding on the door.

"Let us out!" he shouted, continuing to pummel the door in vain.

"It's no use, Benson." Said Skips, "The door and the lock are both state-of-the-art. Trust me, I do my research. It will only be opened from the outside."

"No!" said Benson, "No one, no matter what rank or authority they have, will hold me against my will!"

Skips sighed, "Benson…will you ever come to realization that you are a megalomaniac?"

Benson turned and glared, " _What did you just say_!?" he said, angrily.

"He's right, you know." Said Pops, "You do have quite the tendency to be excessively demanding at times, and it has only led to bad situations, much like right now." He said, looking around the room anxiously.

"Yeah!" said Muscle Man, "You get hoppin' mad over nothin', bro!"

"Ditto!" said High-Five Ghost, who was suspended inside some kind of force-field.

"Totally!" said Thomas, "I've seen what you do to everyone, Benson!"

Benson's face went a dark, furious red, "ENOUGH!" he shouted, "You have no right to judge your boss! You have no right to make any negative comments either! Any normal person in this world would just suck it up, and do what they're told!"

As the group awaited their questioning, all of them continued to glare intimidatingly at Benson, wishing he had a better personality and more decent social skills.

(XXXX)

Mordecai and Mia were called to the Aletheia complex for the park staff interrogations. Mordecai was eager for this; for once, _he_ would be in control of everyone, even Benson. The interrogation chambers consisted of one room, for the questioning officers or agents, and the other, beyond a large piece of one-way glass, for the detainees. It was also equipped with voice-altering speakers, to keep the agent's identity anonymous.

The first one to be called into the chamber was Benson, who was struggling to get out of the hold of two agent who escorted him in. They locked the door when he was inside.

"Let me out of here!" he yelled.

Mia took the microphone, "No until we are finished with your interrogation." She said.

Benson tried to peer through the glass at whoever was behind it, "Who are you? Let me out! I will not do your stupid-ass little interrogation! I'm going to call my Congressman and have him sue your ass underground! I will personally crush this place to dust, and expand my park within it's former property…"

As he continued to yell a bunch of this-and-that, Mia handed Mordecai some dark goggles, "Put those on." She said.

He put the goggles on, and Mia put some of her own on, and she pressed a big red button on the wall panel. Immediately, a reddish-purple light filled the room Benson was in. He stopped yelling and stood with a blank, passive expression while the light seemed to dilate his pupils.

Mia turned the light off and picked up the microphone, "Now, are you ready to answer some questions?" she asked.

Benson walked to the chair in the middle of the room, and sat in it, "Yes," he said in an absent-sounding tone, "I am ready to answer some questions." His facial expression and the note of his voice never changed.

"Alright," said Mia, "What's your name?"

"My name is Benson." Said Benson.

"What is your current occupation?" said Mia.

"My current occupation is park manager." Said Benson.

Question after question that Mia read off of a document. It seemed to go on forever, but finally, she finished the questions, and found that he knew nothing about the incident beforehand, or had any associations with Eclipse. Some guards had to escort him (via pulling him as he clumsily walked) back out, since the weird-colored light Mia put on had obviously messed with his head and made him delusional.

The course of the interrogations carried through half of the day, and all ended in the same result: nobody knew anything about the incident before it happened, or Eclipse.

"Alright," Said Mia, "so we now know the Park had nothing to do with the planned chemical warfare test Eclipse had scheduled."

"Yeah," said Mordecai, "that was exhausting."

Mia nodded, "Well, I'd say this case is pretty much wrapped up; Blaylock was the only one who was associated with Eclipse."

"Yeah, he was a bastard." Said Mordecai.

"I agree." Mia replied.

Mordecai cracked his neck as he stood, "So, what now?"

Mia rubbed her chin, "Hmmm…wanna head to the arcade and play some Double Dragon?"

Mordecai smiled, "Totally, I'm in!"

The two collected their belongings, headed out of the complex, and drove off.


	17. Epilogue 1 - Good Ending

All the staff at the park were released from the Aletheia complex, and returned to work at the park. The fundraiser that had been put on had majorly helped them with the unstable profits they suffered. Soon, they began to get over the fact that Mordecai had left and continue their daily routines as usual.

After having gone to therapy to help relieve her emotions, Margaret wandered aimlessly for months, up until a really cute boy named Eric started to visit the Coffee Shop. Somewhat long conversations led up to phone calls, then to dates, and within weeks, a growing relationship. Margaret was glad that she had no reason to despair over the humiliation of being single, and was glad that Eric had no criminal record. In truth, Margaret began to feel sorry for Mordecai after she yelled at him, and really missed him after he left with that Aletheia agent.

Mordecai and Mia, having both grown their friendship into something more, decided to resign from the Aletheia Corporation to be together, and take up some openings at an automobile dealership in Miami. Having decided to run away from their old lives, they could finally get some peace and quiet from everyone in Fresco who had always been pestering them. While he did begin to miss his friends on some occasions, Mordecai mostly missed Margaret. Even though she yelled at him like she never wanted to see her again, he eventually came to forgive her for what she did.

To sum it all up, everything turned out alright. Mordecai and Margaret, now miles apart, can continue to resume their lives normally…and with the support of their loved ones at their side.


	18. Epilogue 2 - Bad Ending

The park employees were so traumatized by the events of the past few days and being held captive for so long that they were unable to focus on their work. Popularity of the park had rapidly dropped due to poor management, and soon the park accumulated so much debt that they had to declare bankruptcy and shut down. The Aletheia Corporation funded the development for a mall in the park's place.

Margaret, too, was suffering from stress after what happened, and after losing Paul, she lost all confidence and considered dating to be nothing more than an emotional trap. It was then that she vowed never to date anyone again, as she didn't think it would be worth the heartbreak and aggravation. She resumed working at the Coffee Shop, a mindless zombie, but she feels no remorse for what she said to Mordecai.

As time passed, Mordecai could not help but feel more and more uncertain. Eventually, he simply could not take the regulations of his workplace any more, and decided to leave. Despite Mia begging and pleading him to stay, Mordecai's mind was made up. He left Fresco and wandered the streets of a neighboring city, until he decided to take up a job as a supermarket clerk, and live in a small apartment. It was definitely not the best lifestyle ever…but anything was better than Fresco.


End file.
